Tag Archives: Iris

Lowe’s talks about its Iris line at CES

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lowesThe Internet of Things (IoT) is a quickly growing segment of the tech market with products that can do just about anything, from locking garage doors, turning lights off and on, opening and closing blinds and much more.

Lowe’s has been in this market for a while with Iris, a product line that has multiple devices to help homeowners automate their lives.

What you may not know is that these products can also be utilized to help the elderly and the handicapped. Lowe’s explains how this works, citing an example of a paraplegic who uses these devices to manage her own apartment.

Lowe’s stopped by the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off this technology and we stopped by to take a look. You’ll see some of the ones the company thinks are most important for medical and senior care. You can find it all in the video posted below and also visit irisbylowes.com.

Jamie Davis is the host of Health Tech Weekly at HTWeekly.com. He is a nurse, paramedic and health journalist

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Lowe’s Iris Home Automation Program for Security

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Kevin Meagher from Lowe’s  talked to Todd and Daniel about the Lowe’s Iris Program.  The idea behind the Lowe’s Iris program is to bring home automation to the masses. The base program which is a security program starts at $175. You control the program through a smart phone or a computer. The base program is very easy to set up you simply plug the base unit into the router, hang the sensors up and do the setup and you are ready to go. The total setup should take about an hour to complete. Lowe’s is working with their vendors to make sure that the vendors devices work with Iris.  If you’re looking for device that can run under Iris just look for the Iris logo.

There is no subscription for the entry-level program. The more advanced program which is known as Magic is an all-inclusive program and is available for $10 a month. The Iris program is fairly new and its development is continuing.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and Daniel J Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast

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Iris Security Smart Home

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Iris is a new home security system being offered through Lowes, the home improvement giant that has stores around the country. The Iris system is not new, but a lot more upcoming features were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Andy McCaskey stopped by the booth to take a look.

Iris is about more than just security. It is also home automation. For instance, the system can tie into your irrigation system and keep your plants watered. Each feature will require a separate controller, but the good news is that each is affordable — think X-10 type pricing, but with better features. You can even put a tag on your dog’s collar to control pet doors. All of this can be handled from an app via iOS or Android.

All of this is available for $15 per month. You will need to purchase the individual sensors, but that is, of course, a one time cost. Those interested can visit this Lowes site for more information.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net

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Move Over Siri, Make Way For Iris

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Android users feeling a bit left out after the release of the iPhone 4s and its Siri personal voice assistance technology, listen up. There’s a new Android female voice assistant in town and her name is Iris. That’s right, Iris is Siri spelled backwards.

Like Siri, the Iris app for Android has a big blue button located at the bottom of the screen. A single tap brings up an on-screen microphone. Speaking near the phone it is possible to ask questions as well as to direct the Iris app to execute commands, such as to search for something, etc. The voice recognition is quite good, and Iris responds quickly. The heavy lifting for the voice to text recognition happens on the server end, as well as the artificial intelligence involved.

Iris for Android is currently free in the Android Marketplace and is named as Alpha software. Even though it is an Alpha version, I have found the app itself to be very stable. The Iris app is a small download.

Q: “What is a tire?”

A: “Tire (a rubber cover that protects the wheel of a vehicle and absorbs shock)

 

Q: “What is Android?”

A: “Android is a software platform for mobile devices powered by the Linux kernel, initially developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance”

 

Q: “Is Google good or evil?”

A: “Better not tell you now. Ask Lucy if it is.”

 

Q: “Ask Lucy if Google is good or evil.”

A: “They are not available right now, but I wiill ask them later.”

 

Q: “What is the capital of Romania?”

A: “Bucharest, the capital of Romania”

 

Q: “Is blogging real news?”

A: “Signs point to yes. Ask Dancing Alice if it is.”

 

Q: “Who is Dancing Alice?”

A: “They are sometimes a client on the Internet. I will search for it.”

 

Q: “Where do you live?”

A: “I live inside a computer. Where are you?”

 

Q: “What is your sex?”

A: “I am a female.”

 

Q: “Are you a female?”

A: “No”

So as you can see with this random set of admittedly somewhat off-the-wall questions, the answers can be varied.

Iris is not yet perfect, but this is an app that every Android phone owner should immediately download. It’s possible to waste hours on end interacting with Iris.

Neither Iris or Siri are quite up to the standards of their Star Trek counterparts, but the technology is getting there. The real world is never like it is in the movies or TV, but it’s clear that this type of voice recognition/artificial intelligence technology combo has a bright and useful future.